new arrival

[Blaise]

My australorp hen died the other day and as i only had two i went to find her a friend. i didnt have the time for another baby and i didnt want there to be a fight. so i got two 2-3 month olds of different similar size breeds. as my girl was the submissive one in the relationship and always being protected by her sister she is now afraid of the new arrivals. and they are equally afraid of her. i try to tell her that she is 3 times there size and therefore the boss . any tips on how to get them to get along. one of the young ones is going in a week as it was just to make sure that they didnt get pecked on.

 

[KarenP]

It takes time for them to get to know one another. They will be ok in a week or two.

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Quote:
Welcome to BYC! It usually helps to put the new ones in a cage within the coop and or run. That way they can see each other and not feel threatened. Also you should quarantine new birds for a month to be sure there is no illness present. Did you mean that one of the new girls is leaving? She is probably so attached to the other from the stress of leaving the last place that rehoming her as a single seems so unfair. Chickens stress easy and just when she gets comfortable she's off again, by herself? I would keep her

Good luck!

 

[Blaise]

unfortunatly i can not keep 3 as i live in a urban area and my landlord specifically said no more chickens. she is there to make the other one feel safe. im hoping that they will all get along by the time she has to go. shes not going somewhere new just back to where she came from so its not to much of an upheavel for her. i might decide to keep her if i can persuade my landlord.

 

[KarenP]

I vote to keep her!!!!

 

[Blaise]

the two new ones seem to ditch my old one . i thought if i take one away the other one would gravitate towards her. she still crys for her sister and paces back and forth. its so sad ):

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Chickens stay in age groups.It is likely that even if you have one youngster they will never be close. If you keep both it would be best. You landlord will love the fresh eggs

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
ME too! You should always have at least three!

They will get over it. I just introduced two new silkies to my flock of 12 and they were terrified at first. Now they are starting to come around.

I really do think you should keep both.

 

[BasicallyHeather]

Quote:
Welcome to BYC! It usually helps to put the new ones in a cage within the coop and or run. That way they can see each other and not feel threatened. Also you should quarantine new birds for a month to be sure there is no illness present. Did you mean that one of the new girls is leaving? She is probably so attached to the other from the stress of leaving the last place that rehoming her as a single seems so unfair. Chickens stress easy and just when she gets comfortable she's off again, by herself? I would keep her

Good luck!

x2! Quarantine is SO important, especially when introducing juvenile/adult birds to an existing flock. Usually a month of quarantine is sufficient. There are some on here who do two weeks, but I remember reading about some BYCers who rued this decision, as their flock ended up getting sick. I stick to the month rule, personally.

When I introduced some adult birds to my flock after quarantine was up, I actually put them in the coop after my girls had roosted for the night. It was dark and they were none the wiser. They were all friends by the next morning, honest to goodness.

Sorry for the loss of your hen; I have australorps, too, and they are such sweet girls. Good luck with your new additions!

 

[ThinkingChickens]

I agree about quarantine. Our younger girls were caged, then fenced, then allowed to mix in a little at a time over the course of almost six weeks. Even now at their respective ages (about 9 months and 25 weeks) they stick to their own age groups. Our girls even coop separately even though they free range together. They also lay in their respective coops though they all have access to mix.